Engineering smart bacteria for the next generation.

Longliang Qiao, Zhihao Wang, Shasha Tang, Jinzhong Tian, Haifeng Ye, Fengfeng Cai

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Cell reports. Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Longliang QiaoDepartment of Breast Surgery, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Xincun Road 389, Shanghai 200065, China. Electronic address: qiaoll@tongji.edu.cn.

Zhihao WangShanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai 200241, China.

Shasha TangDepartment of Breast Surgery, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Xincun Road 389, Shanghai 200065, China.

Jinzhong TianShanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai 200241, China. Electronic address: jztian@bio.ecnu.edu.cn.

Haifeng YeShanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Biomedical Synthetic Biology Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Dongchuan Road 500, Shanghai 200241, China. Electronic address: hfye@bio.ecnu.edu.cn.

Fengfeng CaiDepartment of Breast Surgery, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Xincun Road 389, Shanghai 200065, China. Electronic address: caifengfeng@tongji.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The rational design of smart bacteria represents a transformative advance in synthetic biology, enabling unprecedented spatiotemporal precision in microbial sensing and signal processing. By integrating sophisticated genetic circuits, these engineered systems can detect a wide range of environmental and disease-associated cues, positioning them as powerful tools for both diagnosis and therapy. Recent developments have broadened their clinical utility, including in situ therapeutic delivery and remote-controlled activation in response to chemical, physical, or pathological signals. This review summarizes recent progress in genetic circuit engineering, explores clinical applications across multiple disease contexts, and discusses key challenges and future directions for translating smart bacteria into next-generation precision medicine.

Indexed as

BacteriaGenetic EngineeringSynthetic BiologyGene Regulatory NetworksHumansPrecision Medicinegenetic circuitsprecision medicinesmart bacteriasynthetic biology

Identifiers

PMID41850245

DOI10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.102681

PMCPMC13006423

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.